By Sheilah Land
Salmon Arm, BC
If you had asked four months ago if I would ever miss going to the gym, I’d have laughed out loud! Gym exercises to gain strength and fitness are hard for me. However, the first weeks of pandemic lockdown did not bring a sigh of relief on Mondays and Thursdays, but rather a sense of being at loose ends. Same thing happened with missing physio every ten days….should I not be somewhere now…surely I must have missed an appointment or a writers’ group meeting! With reality setting in with a kind of thud in Weeks 2 and 3 came a lot of TV watching, many emails from friends across Canada, and a kind of odd loneliness I do not often experience.
The emails conveyed jokes which were, in the main, hilarious. Toilet paper runs in stores became the order of the day for many; I checked my two packages, wondering if I should get out to buy more! Hand sanitizer came at a premium, if one could find any. My knuckles quickly became raw from all the extra washing (just in case…) and from the precious disinfectants cleaning everything from the phones to the remote to the mailbox key. My car keys looked somewhat hazardous, never mind the perilous elevator buttons. I saw more of the prime minister on TV than during his electioneering. My cleaning person avoided my place like the plague was hiding in those insidious dust bunnies. The seriousness of the situation landed on my head, overcoming my psyche.
Adding to my unease, April brought spring allergies as pollens wafted through the air and into my home. Sneezing was out in case someone should think I was sick and therefore somewhat dangerous. Off to the pharmacy to get some antihistamines… most of which will still be serving me next year and maybe in 2022 as well.
To the rescue came televised house renovations day and night. I now comprehend more about renovating homes than I will ever need to know, thanks to TV. Those shows have made me grateful that my homes never had carpenter ants eating the foundations or the attic trusses; my walls have withstood renos without being blown out; I have managed to exist without quartzite islands or painted vintage brick fireplaces. I have valued my oak mantels rather than taking a sledge hammer to them. These TV shows have truly reinforced the great memories my family has enjoyed over decades in our homes.
Finally, online grocery shopping lists take time but it is an eye-opener and a delight! To drive to a busy store and pick up the freshest produce and be home within fifteen minutes is nothing short of wonderful! Delivery of other food is so very much appreciated. My smiling vet clinic personnel even deliver heavy bags and cases of canned catfood right to my car.
Socializing with friends while practicing social distancing is harder but enjoyable, car to car parked eight feet away with drivers facing in opposite directions. A cup of coffee is savoured over an hour of laughter and keeps us sane. Between the morning love fests with my sixteen year old Persian at the dining room table and watering my thriving plants, I will survive the 2020 pandemic…. smiling.
My 2020 Pandemic Experience
Copyright © Sheilah Land, 2020
You have a great writing style which is entertaining and easy to read while conveying a message.
Thanks for sharing this.